The work of engineers is all around us, from clean tap water to smartphones, and their innovations help boost the economy and national security.

But many students don’t know what engineers do to make the world a healthier, happier, safer place, or the exciting careers they could pursue by studying engineering. That’s particularly true for girls and students of color.

Discovering You: Engineering Your World, a new initiative from NBC News Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, aims to bridge that knowledge gap – and inspire the next generation of engineers. Developed in partnership with the American Society for Engineering Education, Chevron, and the National Science Foundation, the website includes short videos about unique professionals like Lane Daley,  a chemical engineer designing processes at the Clif Bar Bakery in Twin Falls, Idaho, to efficiently produce the energy bar, and Sossena Wood, a bioengineer pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh who researches ways to the improve the detection of brain disease using MRI machines instead of surgery.

Discovering You: Engineering also features lesson plans linked to the videos – such as an activity that does with Lane Daley’s clip on optimizing the production of Italian Ice – and information on the various engineering disciplines, scholarships, and teacher resources.

NBC News Learn has partnered with the National Science Foundation and other organizations to create award-winning STEM collections, including the Science of NFL Football and Science of the Winter Olympic Games.

Filed under: Class Activities, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: ASEE, Chevron, Class Activities, Engineering, Internet Resources, NBCLearn, Resources for Teachers, Scholarships and Fellowships, Teacher Resources, Web Resources